Dell Latitude Z

We saw the Dell Latitude Z leaked earlier this year, but Dell has now made it official.

The Latitude Z model is Dell's latest stab at the ultraslim notebook category, pitching up against the MacBook Air, and Sony and Samsung's X series models.

A 16-inch 16:9 display with a resolution of 1600 x 900 (although a higher resolution option will be available), sits on the slim frame which has been lovingly designed.

The pre-production model that we got our hands on was powered by and Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 1.4GHz processor, with 4GB RAM and a 60GB SSD, although a 128GB SSD version will also be available.

Dell has paid attention to detail here, with nice touches like an external battery indicator, backlit keyboard and embedded in the bezel are touch-enabled controls for things like volume and media playback.

Despite the relatively large chassis, there is no optical drive built-in. The battery (sitting between the hinges at the back) will come in 4- and 8-cell options, with Dell estimating 4 or 8 hours respectively.

But is it a little too late with HP's Envy recently stealing the crown as one of the prettiest high-end notebooks around?